The U.S. Global Health Initiative:
Will it Guarantee Women’s and Girls’ Sexual and Reproductive
Rights?Serra Sippel, President
Center for Health and Gender Equity
(CHANGE)
XVIII International AIDS ConferenceVienna, Austria
July 18, 2010
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
Changing U.S. foreign policy. Changing women’s lives.
The U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI)
• Links HIV/AIDS, family planning, maternal & child health, TB, malaria and NTDs
• Country-led• Woman & girl
centered• Integrated and
coordinated
U.S. Barriers to SRHR Remain
• Funding and Program Silos
• Funding restrictions• Abstinence and/or Be
faithful (AB) programs • Anti-Prostitution Loyalty
Oath (APLO)• Fragmented U.S.
advocacy & donor communities
What You Can Do• Find out how the GHI
is being implemented in your country– Woman-centered?– Civil society
involvement?– Meaningful involvement
of women & youth living with HIV and AIDS?
– Integrated?
• Share information and speak out against U.S. policies and programs that don’t work in your country